Vehicular door latch

ABSTRACT

A LATCH FOR A VEHICLE DOOR HAS A U-SHAPED METAL PLATE WICH IS FATENED TO THE DOORPOST TO FORM A PASSAGE IN LINE WITH A CENTERING PIN ON THE DOOR. AN ELASTIC (RUBBER) CUSHIONING BODY IS HELD IN THIS PASSAGE BY A METAL FASTENING STRIP RECEIVED IN CONFRONTING AND REGISTERING GROOVES IN THE BODY AND THE INTERIOR OF THE PASSAGE. A TAPERED BORE IS FORMED IN THIS ELASTIC BODY AND IS LINED WITH A METAL SLEEVE. THE PASSAGE HAS A THROUGHGOING RECTANGULAR SLOT REGISTERING WITH A CORRESPONDING DEPRESSION IN THE BODY SO THAT A LOCKING BOLT, DOG OR PAWL CAN ENGAGE IN THE SLOT AND AGAINST THE BODY WHEN THE DOOR IS SHUT AND THE PIN IS FITTED INTO THE CENTERING SLEEVE.

19,71 H. D. WATERMANN I 3,552,791

I j VEHICULAR noon LATCH Filed June 16, 1969 v I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I'N F 3 Hans-Dieter \flxff ann ss g Attorney Jan. 5, 1971 H. D. WATERMANN 3,552,791

VEHICULAR noon LATCH 7 Filed June 16, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet z 1O Mk 0?? l 7 INV N F 5 Hans-Diefer w f r r r rann Attorney Int. Cl. Eb /02; E05c 19/00 us. or. 29a-340 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A latch for a vehicle door has a U-shaped metal plate which is fastened to the doorpost to form a passage In line with a centering pin on the door. An elastic (rubber) cushioning body is held in this passage by a metal fastening strip received in confronting and registering grooves in the body and the interior of the passage. A tapered bore is formed in this elastic body and is lined with a metal sleeve/The passage has a' throughgoing rectangular slot registering with a corresponding depression in the body I so that a locking bolt, dog or pawl can engage in the slot and againstthe body when the door is shut and the pin is fitted into the centering sleeve.-

The present invention relates to a latch and, more particularly, to a vehicular door latch.

.Vehicular door latches have been provided heretofore with a diecast' housing in which an elastic body is mounted. This body cooperates with a centering pin on the door while the housing is provided with some external formation adapted to' be engaged by a latch member mounted on the door.

Since this housing invariably has -a complicated shape, it must be diecast. Furthermore, to minimize its weight, it is usually cast of some of the lighter, more rugged alloys, usually zinc or aluminum alloys thereby compromisingits structural strength and increasing its cost. \It is, therefore, the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved latch specifically intended for use on a vehicular door which obviates the aforementioned disadvantages.

A more particular object is to provide such a latch which is of extremely simple and inexpensive construction.

The above objects are'attained, in accordance with some of the features of the present invention, by a latch whose housing is a plate bent to have a generally U-shaped section, and with a bight having two substantially parallel shanks ending in outwardly extending flanges which are attached to the doorpost.

An elastic cushioning body, preferably of rubber, is snubly fitted between the shanks and held from sliding by a U-shaped strip of metal which is simultaneously received in corresponding grooves on the outside of the body and inside of the plate. This body is formed with a tapering bore which is in turn lined by a metal sleeve held in place by vulcanizing and formed with an outwardly turned rim on its narrower end.

A rectangular slot is formed in one of the shanks and a corresponding retangular depression is formed in the body inwardly of the slot and registering therewith.

A synthetic-resin stiffening block is provided in the body below the passage and between the depression and the wider mouth of this passage.

With such an arrangement, a centering pin is snugly receivable in the complementary (conical) passage while a locking dog or pawl can catch in the slot while resting against the elastic body. An excellent latch of extremely simple construction is thus provided.

3,552,791 Patented Jan. 5, 1971 ice The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view, partly in section, of the latch assembly according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a section taken along line II--II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the latch body shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a section taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the latch shown in FIG. 1.

As shown in the drawing, a latch has a housing formed by a bent plate 1 of generally U-shape configuration. This plate 1 has a flattened bight 20 formed with an upper, rounded shank 18 and a lower flat shank 19 (FIGS. 2 and 4), which extend substantially parallel to one another. Extending laterally outwardly from the free end of each shank is a fiat flange portion 2 or 3 formed with holes 4 to allow this plate 1 to be securely bolted to a doorpost 17. In this manner, the plate 1 forms a passage or channel of U-section on the doorpost. The flanges lie in a common plane parallel to the doorpost surface upon which the body is to be mounted and inpart a rectangular outline to this body (FIG. 1) such that the channel or passage, in which the cushion is sealed, is inclined slightly to the longitudinal sides of the rectangular outline.

This passage is filled by an elastic body or cushion 5 e.g. of rubber, formed with a tapered bore 24 which has a frustoconically open portion 27 and a cylindrical portion 28 coaxial with it. The frustoconical portion 27 is lined with a centering sleeve 8 which closely fits within it and is vulcanized therein and is provided with an outwardly extending circumferencial flange 9 at its narrower end to further retain it therein. This sleeve 8 is split at 23 to facilitate mounting and make some expansion thereof possible.

The body 5 is held between the shanks 18 and 19 by a horseshoe-shaped metal strip or key 7 which is received in an outwardly open groove 21 around three sides of the body 5 and three inwardly open grooves or notches 6 in the shanks 18 and 19 and bight 20 confronting the groove 21. The key 7 has inward projection 7a anchored in the rubber body. The body 5 is further formed with a series of longitudinal ridges 22 which normally extend beyond the plane of the flanges 2 and 3 so that they are compressed when the plate 1 is bolted to the doorpost 17 to further hold the body 5 firmly in place.

The lower, flat shank 18 is formed with a rectangular throughgoing slot or aperture 10' which registers with a correspondingly shaped rectangular depression 11 in the body 5. This shank 19 is further notched at 26 and a corner of the body 5 above it is removed at 25, thereby forming a web 29 between the slot 10 and notch 26 a front edge 29a of the web 29 being rounded. Above this web 29 is a small rectangular nylon block 12 embedded in the body 5. This block 12 serves to stiffen the body 5 in this weakened area.

As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, the latch further comprises a frustoconical centering pin 14 fixedly mounted on a vehicle door 16 in line with the bore 24. Pivotally mounted just below this pin 14 is a locking dog 15 fixed to a pin 15b controlled by a conventional door-latch mechanism and having a hook face 15a. This dog is spring biased in the clockwise direction to rest normally in the position shown in FIG. 1.

Thus, as the door 16 is swung in the direction indicated by arrow A, the pin 14 will fit snugly into the sleeve 8, slightly compressing the elastic body 5 so that it is firmly seated in the bore 24. At the same time as pin 14 engages in the sleeve 8, the dog 15 engages the web with its oblique flank 15c and is pivoted in a counterclockwise direction until its hook face 15a passes the other side of the web 29, then it snaps up with this face 15a snugly abutting the end of the slot 10 and depression 11. The rounded edge 29a makes this operation very smooth. Since this dog 15 engages the resilient body as well as the plate 1, a very tight and rattle-free latching is obtained. The notch 25 and 26 serve to cam the dog 15 downwardly as smoothly as possible.

The plate 1 can simply be formed by bending it cold, or it can be slightly heated to make the bending easier. In both cases, the slot 10, bores 4, notch 26 and notches 6 are formed in it prior to giving it its U-shape.

I claim:

1. A latch for a door engageable with a doorpost and carrying a generally conical pin extending toward the doorpost and a pivotal locking dog adjacent said pin, said latch comprising:

a bent plate of generally U-shaped section having a 'bight with two substantially parallel shanks extending therefrom and toward said doorpost, said shanks being formed with respective outwardly extending flanges connectable to said doorpost, one of said shanks being formed with a slot;

an elastic body fixedly mounted in said U-shaped section between said shanks and formed with a passage in line with and complementary to said pin; and

a sleeve lining said passage and attached to said body, said pin being snugly receivable in said sleeve in said passage and said dog being lockingly engageable in said slot upon engagement of said pin in said passage.

2. The latch defined in claim 1 wherein said slot is generally rectangular, said body being further formed with a depression corresponding to and registering with said slot.

3. The latch defined in claim 2 wherein said slot has a rounded edge turned toward and engageably by said dog.

4. The latch defined in claim 1 wherein said body is formed with outwardly open groove and said plate is formed with at least one inwardly open groove overlying said outwardly open groove, said latch further comprising a relatively nonyieldable strip engaging both of said grooves.

5. The latch defined in claim 1, further comprising a relatively hard block mounted in said body between said sleeve and said one shank and between said slot and said 6. The latch defined in claim 5 wherein said block is composed of synthetic resin.

7'. The latch defined in claim 1 wherein said sleeves is formed with an outer peripheral flange and said body with a circumferential groove in the walls of said passage, said peripheral flange being received in said groove.

8. The latch defined in claim 1 wherein said one shank is formed at one edge of said plate with a notch between said slot and said dog and a'web between said notch and said slot.

9. The latch defined in claim 8 wherein said body is cut away adjacent said notch.

10. The latch defined in claim 1 wherein said door is the door of an automotive vehicle and said doorpost is'the doorpost of said vehicleQsaid flanges lying in a'common plane against said doorpost, said section forming a channel open in the direction of said doorpost at said plane, said plate being of generally rectangular outline and said channel extending at an inclination to the longitudinal sides of said outline, said body being composed of rubber and substantially completely filling said channel while having a multiplicity of ridges parallel to said channel and projecting beyond said plane for engagement with said doorpost, said passage and said sleeve having an axis parallel to said channel, said sleeve being split to enable expansion upon the insertion of said pin into said sleeve, said shanks being located one above the other, the upper one of said shanks being generally rounded away from said doorpost, the lower one of said shanks being generally planar and being formed with said slot, said slot being an aperture in said lower shank spaced from an edge of said shank by a narrow web set back from the face of said body at which said passage opens, said body being beveled downwardly and inwardly toward said web to guide said dog toward said slot, said web having rounded edges engageable by said dog, said body being formed with a recess registering with said aperture, said dog reaching into said recess upon engagement in said slot, said body and the inner wall of said U-shaped section being formed with mutually confronting groovesahead of said sleeve in the direction of insertion of said pin into said sleeve, said latch further comprising a fiat U-shaped key lying in a plane generally transverse to said axis and received in said grooves while bridging said body and said plate, said key having inwardly extending projections anchored in said body.

References Cited UNITED STATES BATENTS 2/ 1942 .Clouter 292-304X MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

E. J. MCCARTHY, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 292304 

